Alabama Football: Bears take Mac Jones in NFL mock draft
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football could see Mac Jones drafted early in the NFL Draft.
Tua Tagovailoa was the first Alabama football quarterback of the Nick Saban era to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. He is now the starter for the Miami Dolphins. However, his replacement in Tuscaloosa might follow in his footsteps.
In Matt Miller’s latest 2021 NFL mock draft, he had Mac Jones going in the first round. He went 18th overall to the Chicago Bears. This is the highest I’ve seen Jones drafted in a credible mock draft so far, so it speaks to the strides that Jones has taken as Alabama’s starter.
Jones was the sixth quarterback drafted in Miller’s mock draft, so there is still some ground for him to cover. He will have plenty of opportunities to grow as a passer during Alabama football’s 2020 season. He likely does not have what it takes to pass Trevor Lawrence as QB1, but he could easily become the top quarterback in the second tier of prospects.
The reasons why teams would be interested in Mac Jones are apparent. He has been developing all of his traits in 2020, and he has finally found his elite trait.
In the latter portion of the first round, Mac would likely go to a quality team with a future need at quarterback. Teams that fit this category include the Bears, Saints, Steelers and Colts. He could potentially learn behind a seasoned veteran before taking over in the near future. This is a better situation than the vast majority of quarterbacks experience.
While this is just one mock draft, there is plenty of hope that Alabama football’s starting quarterback will work his way into the first round of the actual 2021 NFL Draft.
Other Tide players were also in Miller’s mock. Patrick Surtain was the first Alabama player taken at No. 5 overall by the Dallas Cowboys. Alex Leatherwood was also in the top 10. Five total Tide players were taken in this mock draft. Notable names left out of the first round include Najee Harris, Christian Barmore, LaBryan Ray and Dylan Moses. We will see if this holds true as more games are played.
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All in all, this story will play out in April. As we approach the draft season, the Tide will have plenty of stars receiving interest from NFL teams. The fact that members of the media are already crediting Mac Jones like this is a great sign for him. We’ll see how this goes over the coming months.